BREVARD, N.C. – The Brevard College football team (1-3, 1-1 USAS) came up short on Saturday afternoon, falling to the visiting Huntingdon College Hawks (1-2, 1-0 USAS) by a final of 21-14 on a sunny afternoon at Ives-Lemel Family Field.
Junior linebacker Toby Naylor totaled 13 tackles, tying his career-high set in the Spring 2021 season vs. Huntingdon, while also registering a pair of tackles-for-loss and two quarterback hurries. Senior defensive end Jerome Bass turned in a career performance with a career-high 11 tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss, a fumble recovery, and a blocked kick recovery.
Sophomore linebacker Geoff Banning logged a career-high eight tackles with a team and career-best 3.5 tackles-for-loss that included half of a QB takedown. D3football.com Preseason All-American defensive back Joc Pledger impressed with eight tackles and a pass breakup, while Dante Anderson added five tackles, a tackle-for-loss, and a forced fumble on the game's first play from scrimmage. Wyatt Lankford and Issiah Bradley contributed on QB sacks, while Steffon Canady, Tyler Harrison, and Reece Rubio all contributed on tackles in the backfield in what was a busy day for the Tornado defense.
Offensively for the Tornados, Mitchell Yoder scampered for his third TD score of 2021, as the junior running back from Columbus, North Carolina rushed 15 times for 62 yards and a score. Sophomore QB Eli Carr found Dalton Cole in the waning moments of the contest for a touchdown pass as well.
Nicholas Acus was busy on the special teams front, launching a season-high eight punts into orbit. Stamati Damalos made a pair of extra points for Brevard, while Ernest Smith II blocked a Huntingdon field goal attempt midway through the fourth quarter to keep BC within striking distance.
Overall, the Hawks outgained the Tornados 284-134 in total offense while outgaining the Tornados on the ground 205-30. BC held the slight advantage in passing yards, 104-79, but the Hawks managed to force three turnovers (two interceptions, one fumble recovery) while racking up five sacks and maintaining 35:46 in time of possession.
BC kicked off the game in emphatic fashion, as Anderson forced a Huntingdon fumble that was scooped up by Bass, who returned it to the Huntingdon 10-yard-line. Brevard's offense answered the call, as Yoder dashed for a three-yard score to give the Tornados their first and only lead of the afternoon, 7-0.
Huntingdon put a 10-play, 46-yard drive together on their ensuing possession, but BC's defense stopped the Hawks in their tracks by forcing a fourth-down stop. Carr found Cedric Brooks for a 21-yard completion, but couldn't muster any more positive momentum as the Hawks forced an Acus punt.
Starting their next drive on their own eight-yard-line, the Hawks put a 12-play, 92-yard touchdown drive together right before the end of the first quarter, tying the game up at 7-7 after a Kahari McReynolds touchdown run.
Yoder gashed the Hawk defense for a 23-yard run on the final play of the first quarter, but a costly sack forced BC's second punt of the day. The two sides traded punts on their next two possessions before a 10-play, 62-yard drive resulted in a Cotney one-yard touchdown run on a read-option, giving the visitors their first lead, 14-7.
A three-and-out forced the Tornados to surrender the ball back to their opponents, but multiple Huntingdon penalties stalled its next drive, as the Hawks maintained their seven-point lead going into the halftime break.
Both teams traded punts on their next drives before a pivotal strip-sack fumble doubled Huntingdon's lead, 21-7, as Casey Peppers fell on the ball in the end zone on a Tucker Spence sack.
Sophomore QB Taylor Jackson III subbed in for the Tornados on the ensuing possession, however, the Tornados went three-and-out giving the ball back to Huntingdon. BC's defense got their second fourth-down stop of the contest on Huntingdon's next possession, but a Jackson III pass was intercepted by HC's Miller Park. BC's defense forced a punt as the third quarter came to a close still in favor of the visitors, 21-7.
Acus sent his seventh punt of the contest into the air before the Hawks used a 10-play, 36-yard drive that ate 5:39 of clock to help set up a 25-yard field goal attempt. Smith II burst through the line for the Tornados, getting both hands on the kick attempt to reject it as Bass scooped up the loose ball, giving the Tornados new life. However, a three-and-out forced Acus to boot the ball for the eighth time.
Brevard's defense forced a Huntingdon punt with 5:22 left to play, as Carr came back under center for the Tornados. The sophomore found Cole for a game-long 37-yard hookup but was picked off by HC's Cam Reynolds with 4:41 left in the contest.
A poor Huntingdon punt set the Tornados up with great field position with 2:29 left on the clock. A seven-play, 27-yard drive that used 2:27 of time ended with a Carr-to-Cole one-yard touchdown connection, cutting Huntingdon's advantage to a 21-14 margin.
Brevard's last chance at finishing the comeback came and passed as Hugo Taylor's onside kick attempt was recovered, as the Hawks left Brevard with the seven-point conference win, 21-14.
The Tornados are back in action next Saturday, October 2, taking on Greensboro College at 4 p.m. in Greensboro, North Carolina.
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-BC-
